Monday Bunker: Panthers poised for jump to next level, Rabbitohs ready for run to 22
THE Brisbane Broncos’ awful loss to the Warriors has given a sniff to two teams who thought their season’s final hopes may have already been snuffed out — our experts analyse Round 18.
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WITH Round 18 of the competition now done and dusted, our team of rugby league writers analyse the NRL’s talking points in the Monday Bunker.
BEATEN PANTHERS POISED FOR CHARGE TO FINALS
PENRITH 12 CRONULLA 24: Moylan makes Panthers pay on return
Anthony Griffin had every right to be proud of his team despite Penrith’s 24-12 loss to Cronulla on Friday night.
Playing without the NSW halves pairing of James Maloney and Nathan Cleary along with Tyrone Peachey, the young Panthers pushed the experienced Sharks for most of the match and very nearly levelled the scores late when Christian Crichton lost possession over the line.
The Panthers had gone to the break trailing 12-2 and despite showing their inexperience early in the game with some of their decision-making and finish to sets, they certainly didn’t lack any courage or self-belief.
As Griffin later lamented: “Every time the game sort of went against us we lifted, and that was everyone on the field.
“We just kept coming at the game. I couldn’t have been more proud of that general effort as a member of the club.
“We dug ourselves a few holes at times but we were a bounce of the ball away from levelling it up at 18-all with a few minutes to go.
“So we don’t ever accept losing and we don’t like losing. But I thought we won in a lot of ways and I thought it will give us something to really improve on going into the back end of the year.”
There’s no question both teams will be formidable forces going into the back end of the season but the experience Maloney and Cleary gained playing together in a winning Origin series is likely to take Penrith to the next level.
Matt Moylan also showed what a strike weapon he is going to be and the longer the season goes the better he is playing.
The challenge for Moylan from here will to be continue to build on his partnership with Chad Townsend and eventually take even more control of the team.
The Sharks have flown under the radar for much of the year but they will have all their rivals looking over their shoulders in the coming months.
— Paul Crawley
KNIGHTS, EELS A TALE OF TWO DIFFERENT FUTURES
NEWCASTLE 18 PARRAMATTA 16: Good Knight for returning star Pearce
Friday night’s clash at McDonald Jones Stadium would have given Knights fans hope for the future, but Eels fans would remain unsure.
Mitchell Pearce starred and directed on his return to the Knights’ number seven jersey and Newcastle were a different team to the one that has been playing the past three months without him.
Given the calibre of players out injured and the decent recruitment for next season, the future looks bright in the Hunter even if 2018 finals are out of the question.
For Parramatta questions remain as to what is going wrong.
Jarryd Hayne’s future is up in the air, but he was one of their best on a frustrating night.
Coach Brad Arthur said there was opportunity down Hayne’s left edge and he wanted his team to attack there more against the Knights. Who knows what might have happened if they did.
But they didn’t seize those chances and it sums up how their season has unfolded.
From here, Arthur says it is about drive and will to win. The wooden spoon is not a done deal and they can boost their chances of escaping it with a win next week over the Bulldogs.
Whether they can smarten up their game in time is another question though.
‘We have to tidy up some of our execution of our football, that attention to detail, a bit of focus under fatigue, but on the real simple, finer parts of the game,” said Arthur after the loss to the Knights.
“We need to keep that drive there, because if we don’t, you can complete at 100 per cent, it won’t matter.”
— Fiona Bollen
RED-HOT RABBITOHS READY FOR TILT AT 22
CANTERBURY 6 SOUTH SYDNEY 24: Rabbitohs hit straps with Dogs defeat
Souths look ready.
Penrith aren’t yet the finished product, the Dragons have had an extremely heavy rep season, and the Storm are still working out their halves.
But the Rabbitohs, they look primed. They look like they’re ready for a grand final tomorrow.
They were not at their best in the 24-6 win over Canterbury, but not once did they ever look troubled or harried. They rose to the level they needed to be at and no further.
Damien Cook was brilliant backing up from Origin, Adam Reynolds was sublime, Robert Jennings donned his cape and cowl and became Bobby Four Tries.
South Sydney’s big forward pack, the speed and smarts of Cook, the kicking game of Reynolds — these commodities translate well to semi-final football. They’ve won nine in a row but nobody would say they’ve peaked early.
With four straight games at ANZ Stadium in the offing, there is potential for Souths to enter the semi-finals on a truly historic run of football. They have enough survivors from 2014 to have plenty of big-game experience and will welcome back Greg Inglis before the playoffs begin.
The turnaround from last season to this one is truly remarkable, a credit to everyone at the club and has an excellent chance of ending with title 22.
— Nick Campton
SMITH, STORM READY TO MAKE MORE NRL HISTORY
MANLY 13 MELBOURNE 14: Storm sneak home as old rivals turn it on
If Cameron Smith stays fit, Melbourne can create history and claim back-to-back titles.
Smith was at his finest against Manly on the weekend, steering the Storm to a strong win without their five Origin stars.
The veteran hooker controlled proceedings, while he finished with a game-high 38 tackles.
Throw Billy Slater, Cameron Munster, Felise Kaufusi and Josh Addo-Carr in alongside Smith, and the Storm are perfectly placed for another premiership run.
— Matt Logue
RAIDERS’ PERFORMANCE BEGS BRUTAL QUESTION
CANBERRA 38 NORTH QUEENSLAND 12: Cowboys freeze as Raiders fire up
Canberra’s 38-12 win over North Queensland was perhaps their most complete of the season.
They took their chances, Josh Papalii played one of the best games of his career, Aidan Sezer and Sam Williams kicked like mules and Jordan Rapana did all manner of Jordan Rapana things.
The main reaction coming out of the match was that Canberra kept their finals hopes alive and that’s not nothing, but the win, Canberra’s performance and the other events of the weekend made it something else entirely.
On talent, Canberra are one of the best eight teams in the competition. Their skill level and attacking prowess can match any side in the league.
But instead they’re on the outside looking in and need a truly special effort to make the finals. Every time they play a game like this and win in this fashion it begs the question — why don’t they do it every week?
Searching through Canberra’s catalogue of close losses is a good way to succumb to despair, but if just one of their many tight defeats had gone the other way they’d be a win outside the top eight.
Two weeks ago they lost to Brisbane after leading 16-0 at halftime. They win that game and they’d be in the eight on for and against.
There is still much footy to be played and the Raiders could pull off a miracle. But every good win is a reminder of what could have been.
— Nick Campton
BRONCOS HAVE POINT TO PROVE IN RUN HOME
BRISBANE 6 NEW ZEALAND 26: Beaten Broncos cop reality check
A week can make a big difference in rugby league.
The Broncos learnt that the hard way in their 26-6 loss to the Warriors on Sunday.
But now they will need to use that lesson to get their season back on track this Friday against the Panthers.
In Round 17, the Broncos appeared to be finals certainties after an impressive 34-0 win over the Titans.
While the Gold Coast were poor, Brisbane looked slick, putting in one of their most competitive performances of the year.
Fast forward to Round 18 and they were poor against the Warriors.
They struggled in defence and lacked creativity in attack.
They dropped back into eighth place and their for-and-against took a hit at what is a crucial time of year.
With just seven rounds left, the Broncos not only need to respond in a big way on Friday but they also must start to show some consistency.
If they are to be true threats in this year’s finals series, they need to be winning every week and putting in proper 80-minute performances.
Consistency is something they have lacked this season but it’s what they need to prove ahead of the finals.
Injuries will continue to hurt them with Jaydn Su’A in doubt for the Panthers clash.
But they have enough talent in their squad to be true contenders if they can find their spark.
— Rikki-Lee Arnold
SAINTS FALL SHORT BUT X-FACTOR EMERGES
DRAGONS 16 WESTS TIGERS 20: Fantastic Farah keeps finals hopes alive
LUCIANO Leilua is finally starting to live up to his preseason hype.
The brother of Canberra’s Joey Leilua was a major talking point in NRL circles before the first ball was kicked in 2018, but he’s since failed to live up to the immense expectation.
A series of opportunities at the back end of the Origin period has allowed Leilua to finally showcase what all the chatter was about.
Furthermore, Leilua looms as a major X-factor off the Dragons bench at the business end of the season.
The powerful forward is cut from a near identical mould as his more renowned brother, with mountains of power and a crafty offload from near impossible positions.
But what’s more impressive is his ability to ball play deep into the defensive line.
Combining with Gareth Widdop, Leilua threw a sharp inside ball for Matt Dufty to cross late in the clash with the Tigers.
It’s a unique ability for a player of such stature that we’ve seen on multiple occasions from Leilua in the top grade.
While minutes will be hard to come by with a stacked representative forward pack, Leilua looks a perfect option to add spark to the side off the bench on the run home.
The 22-year-old was named as the Illawarra’s Player of the Year in the NSW Cup competition.
— Tim Williams
BUNKER BLUNDERS BUT GOOD SIGNS FOR ROOSTERS
GOLD COAST 12 ROOSTERS 20: Titans coach laments ‘frustrating’ bunker howler
The NRL’s $3 million Bunker has fallen to a new low following a dreadful decision in the Roosters’ 20-12 win against the Titans on Sunday night.
The Bunker inexplicably awarded Roosters debutant Sean O’Sullivan a try when he clearly knocked the ball on in the Titans’ in-goal area off the goal post.
Even O’Sullivan gave it away with his demeanour after the incident but the Bunker found a way to award a crucial try.
The eight-point win sent the Roosters into fourth spot on the ladder and came with their big guns Cooper Cronk, Latrell Mitchell, James Tedesco and Dylan Napa sidelined.
It wasn’t an overly impressive win but the fact it came with so many stars missing was a good sign for the Roosters.
The challenge for Trent Robinson’s team now is to hold on to a top four berth and strike some convincing form at the back end of the year.
The Roosters were pre-season premiership favourites and they have the cattle to get the job done.
— Travis Meyn